Process for the singeing and liquid treatment of textile material



Aug. 18, 1970 H. VORDERBRUGGE 3,524,233

PROCESS FOR THE SINGEING AND LIQUID TREATMENT OF TEXTILE IIATERIAL Filed Jan. 24. 1968 INVENTOR HERHANN VORDERBRUGGE United States Patent 3,524,233 PROCESS FOR THE SINGEING AND LIQUID TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIAL Hermann Vorderbrugge, Windelsbleiche, Germany, as-

signor to Artos Dr. Ing. Meier-Windhorst Kommanditgesellschaft, Hamburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Jan. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 700,261 Int. Cl. D06c 9/02 US. Cl. 26-3 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A length of a textile material having natural fibers or mixtures of natural and synthetic fibers is maintained in a hot state after completion of a singeing process and while it is being immersed into a Washing or impregnating bath. For that purpose, the last singeing burner is located directly above the bath inlet. The material may be subjected to a treatment with saturated steam before it is immersed into the bath. The bath may consist of a plurality of sections separated by a squeezing unit, the front section being preferably arranged in cascades.

This invention relates to an apparatus and a process of treating lengths of textiles having natural fibers or mixtures of natural and synthetic fibers, which follows a singeing treatment and preferably takes place before a desizing treatment.

It is known from actual practice that singeing not only causes an extremely rapid heating of the fabric but also produces a loss by evaporation of the moisture content of the fabric resulting from the flow of heat.

In prior art devices for impregnation and rinsing, which are located behind the singeing machines, the fabric is cooled to a substantial extent on its way from the heat or flame treatment, particularly at the guide rollers. This provides considerably less satisfactory conditions for a good wetting or impregnation of the fabric with a desizing bath or for a rinsing process than would have been the cause had the fabric retained its high temperature.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of prior art treatments.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a process of treating length of textiles containing natural fibers which would follow the singeing treatment and which would be followed by a washing or impregnating treatment, in accordance with which the temperature of the fabric which it acquired after the heat treatment is maintained to a substantial extent, so that the fabric having this high temperature is introduced for further treatment into the washing of impregnating bath. It was also found advisable to subject the length of material to a separate steam treatment, preferably with saturated steam, after its singeing heat and before its immersion into the bath. The time period between the passing through the last singeing location or the steam treating location and the immersion of the fabric into the treating bath, should be as short as possible, preferably less than about one-half second, so as to avoid any noticeable cooling of the length of material.

The process of the present invention eliminates the drying of the sizing and thus also prevents the gluing of the singe dust and other impurities to the fabric being treated. When the temperature of the length of material being immersed and of its moisture content which has become steam, is 100 C. or higher, the material is treated at the boiling temperature of water immediately after its immersion into the washing or treating bath. In addition,

3,524,233 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 when, for example, the fabric is introduced into an impregnating section containing a desizing bath with a temperature of 60 0-70" 0, a vacuum is formed by the volume contraction of steam located in and around the fabric and this provides an exceptionally thorough wetting and penetration of the fabric.

In an apparatus for carrying out the pocess of the present invention the singeing machine can be combined with a washing device in such manner that the last singeing burner is located directly before the entry of the fabric into the steam chamber of the washing device. It is of particular advantage when there are no guiding rollers between the singeing burner and the level of the bath. Preferably, the washing device is divided into two sections separated by a squeezing unit. The section located behind the squeezing unit can be made as an impregnating unit, while the front section can be a rinsing device which prevents an excessive dirtying of the impregnating bath. The rinsing bath is preferably directed in countercurrent to the material moving in the rinsing section and is preferably arranged in cascades.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the sole figure of which is a diagrammatic sectional view illustrating an apparatus in accordance with the present invention.

The drawing shows a length 20 of a textile material which moves through the upper part of a singeing machine 10 and past the singeing burners 13, 14 and 15. The

singeing machine 10 is provided with an outlet cover 30 which is not illustrated in detail. The last singeing burner 15 is located in the lower part of the singeing machine directly in front of the entry of the textile material into the first washing section. The length of the textile material is moved past the burner at the shortest possible distance therefrom and the distance between the burner 15 and entry of the textile material into the bath is so small in space or in time that there can be no noticeable cooling of the material up to its penetration into the bath. This eliminates completely the difliculties resulting from the cooling of the goods in prior art devices.

In special cases provision can be made for a saturated steam treatment in a chamber 15a between the burner 15 and the entry into the treating bath to avoid the cooling of the goods.

As shown in the drawing, the washing section 11 is arrange in cascades 21-25 and is provided with an overflow 26. The material is guided through the washing section 11 over rollers 19 in countercurrent to the bath. A steam injecting device 17 is provided at the top of the section while hot fresh water is supplied at the end of the section. The individual cascades are connected by valves 28 with an outflow conduit 27.

A squeezing device 16 is located behind the washing section 11. The squeezing device is followed by a further section 12 constructed for impregnating with desizing means and also as a boiling section. The length of material is guided through the section 12 over rollers 19. The section 12 is provided with indirect heating means 33 and is connected to the counterfiow guiding means of the washing section 11, since the overflow of the section 12 is connected by a conduit 29 and a valve 28 with the third cascade 23.

The length of material leaving the impregnating section 12 passes through a squeezing device 31 with a weight loaded counter-roller, as shown in the drawing. Then the length of material is directed to a take-up roller 32.

It is apparent that the example described above has been given solely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that it is subject to many variations and modifications within the scope of the present invention.

For instance, the present invention is not limited to the described and shown singeing construction with an open frame, but also relates to indirectly heated singeing devices, such as so-called plate or cylinder singeing machines. All such and other variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a process of treating lengths of textile materials having at least partly natural fibers, the combination of steps of heat singeing a length of material, immediately thereafter subjecting said length of material to a saturated steam treatment and then immersing the length of material into a treating bath for a washing or impregnating treatment, the duration of movement of the length of material after the steam treatment and before it is immersed into said treating bath being substantially one-half of a second, whereby heat developed in the length of material by singeing is maintained therein while it is immersed into the treating bath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Man-Made Textile Encyclopedia, edited by J. J. Press, Textile Book Publishers, Inc., New York, 1959, p. 646 necessary.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 2876; 68-5 

